A man needs a little madness or else he never dares to cut the rope & be free. ~ Nikos Kazantazkis

When our hiking season came to a screeching halt in September I assumed it would be April or May before we were able to go hiking again. The dogs and I settled into a nice routine of hitting the dog park on the weekend and (for me) staying warm in the winter weather.

Until today.

2012 has been insanely nice around here. After a couple of weeks of warmth and sun I figured our favorite hiking trails would be free of snow and ice. This weekend we returned to our summer stomping grounds.

When I let the dogs loose on the trail Luka acted like he’d been shot out of a cannon.

From the way he was tearing around the forest you would never know that we’ve been walking three miles a day (and more on the weekends). It was like he’d been cooped up in a cage for weeks.

I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful it was to see him running these trails again. The last time we were here was the day before his surgery.

Once Luka calmed down we settled into our usual routine of him leading the way

and then waiting for me to catch up.

Sadie enjoyed exploring.

And also did her share of running.

At one point she took a quick nap along the trail.

While Sadie napped I watched the construction of a McMansion just off the hiking trail.

There was no sign of this house the last time we hiked this trail and I was rather startled to round a curve and see it. This house also proves that some people have more money than sense. The house is in a gorgeous location, but there are trees right up to the house (and hanging over the roof). This area is no stranger to wildfires (there were 3-4 last summer) and these morons really should do more to protect that pricey home. Thankfully our hiking area is a public open space so our access to this trail should not be impacted.

The only downside to our hike (besides that house) was finding the reservoir frozen and locked. Luka was not happy about this. He was so excited as we approached the water. When we reached the locked gate he kept pushing on it and trying to find a way inside.

Finally, I snapped this picture this morning. I absolutely love it.

There’s no denying it…these two are buddies.🙂

Note: The lack of Sadie pictures is only indicative of my camera batteries dying, not her lack of adorableness.